What Wisconsinites Are Reading After Last Night’s Debate

Last night, California banker Eric Hovde got up out of his Laguna Beach lawn chair to debate Senator Tammy Baldwin.

At the event, Eric Hovde came across as exactly what he is – a politician who thinks he’s better than Wisconsinites and who is willing to lie and distort his record to gain power. This was on clear display throughout the debate where Hovde was pressured on his plans to raise the retirement age, kick young people off their parents’ health insurance, and allow women to be denied access to abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother.

And when Hovde wasn’t spouting his dangerous and extreme agenda? Well, that’s when it became clear how little he knows or cares about the issues that matter to Wisconsin. Just watch Hovde try to justify how he doesn’t know the specifics, nor could he “opine,” on the details of the Farm Bill.

Read below for some more highlights of last night’s debate.

From MJS Reporter Dan Bice on Hovde’s Farm Bill flub: 

Worst moment from tonight’s debate between GOP candidate Eric Hovde and Dem Sen Tammy Baldwin. 

From WPR on abortion access:

When the debate turned to the issue of abortion, the candidates were asked whether they would support restoring federal abortion protections that existed before Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago. Baldwin said “a woman’s rights and freedoms should not depend on her ZIP code and state.” She also referenced a 2012 comment from Hovde stating that he is totally opposed to abortion.

“I’m trying to lead the way to restore Roe so that we don’t see prosecution of women who have miscarried or doctors who are providing health care,” said Baldwin. “Women are dying because of the current situation.”

From the AP on Hovde’s lies: 

Baldwin noted that more than a dozen independent fact-checkers found that Hovde made false statements during the campaign.

 Hovde responded by alleging that “Every single one of her ads has been false.” He offered no evidence to back that up.

From Wisconsin Politics on Social Security:

Hovde at a public event in Milwaukee earlier this month said he supported rolling back federal spending to 2019 levels. Baldwin has seized upon that to insist that would mean broad cuts to popular programs, and she cited that in charging Hovde’s plan would cut Social Security by 28%, an average of $500 a month. She said Hovde supports the rollback of spending in order to pay for a “$4 trillion tax giveaway.”

“He supports spending, just not for you,” Baldwin said.

From NBC on Hovde’s involvement in women’s personal lives:

Following one of many attacks Hovde fired off at Baldwin’s partner, the two-term incumbent hit back, saying, “Eric Hovde should stay out of my personal life — and I think I speak for most Wisconsin women that he should stay out of all of our personal lives.”

From The Hill on health care:

Baldwin took a strong shot at Hovde on the first question about the Affordable Care Act, accusing Hovde of calling the popular provision to let children stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until age 26 “stupid” and of wanting to repeal the law entirely.